We're not going to lie, we are pulling for the prickly pear. By way of convincing you, we now present eight ways that you can consume what might seem a hard-to-eat fruit.

7. Cahill's Prickly Pear condiments - It would be wrong to start a post about prickly pear fruit off with any company other than Cahill, whose employees for decades have foraged their own and turn them into wonderful, sweet (jellies, jams and marmalades) and savory (BBQ sauce and mustard) condiments. You can find them at farmers markets in the Valley and in online stores from amazon.com on down.

​4. Arizona High Spirits' Prickly Pear Vodka - This company makes a prickly pear vodka up in Flagstaff in the same facility as their Mogollon Brewery. The vodka, which is pink in color, lends its hand to a drink topped with agave syrup at the Westin Kierland Resort in Phoenix they call the "Native Arizonan."

3. Flancer's Prickly Pear Chicken Sandwich - This restaurant in Gilbert serves a sandwich with chicken marinated in prickly pear fruit. It's most likely the only time you want to see your chicken served pink.

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The many thousands of us who know the Richardson's/Rokerij/Dick's Hideaway Prickley Pear margarita pre-dates Wayne Scalaro's claim to its invention by more than a decade or so are snickering at your story. Just so you know.